High nitrites

[Beyon]

I have a question for the collective. My nitrites have been high for 2 months now. I have the fluval Evo 13.5 and do weekly water changes of around 50%. My last says that something is dead but the only thing dieing is some LPS coral due to the nitrites. I siphon the sand bed and clean out the mechanical filteraton at every water change . The nitrites go down for a bit then spike back up. I do not overfeeding, I use tongs of a fork to feed myasis shrimp. Any help would be appreciated. I just need pointed in the right direction. Thank you in advance.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Nitrite is not toxic in a marine system so I’d ignore it, but what levels are we talking about with which kit?

 

[Beyon]

Nitrite is not toxic in a marine system so I’d ignore it, but what levels are we talking about with which kit?

My last uses salifert. They are dark pink on their test. I use api which I know are junk but they can still give me an idea of whats going on in the tank. They are reading less than .25. Let me ask this then, if it's not the nitrites, why are all my LPS not making it ? My lfs tells me they are dying because of the nitrite.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My last uses salifert. They are dark pink on their test. I use api which I know are junk but they can still give me an idea of whats going on in the tank. They are reading less than .25. Let me ask this then, if it's not the nitrites, why are all my LPS not making it ? My lfs tells me they are dying because of the nitrite.

They would be wrong. Are the corals new? Have you measured ammonia?

 

[Beyon]

They would be wrong. Are the corals new? Have you measured ammonia?

Yeah everything else is in range which I know range is different for everyone. The corals are not new they would last for a month or so then my hammers and Duncan would have polyp bail out my 1st candy canes retracted to nothing and my brain coral died after 3 months

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yeah everything else is in range which I know range is different for everyone. The corals are not new they would last for a month or so then my hammers and Duncan would have polyp bail out my 1st candy canes retracted to nothing and my brain coral died after 3 months

Any metal parts in the tank? Are you using tap water?

 

[Beyon]

Any metal parts in the tank? Are you using tap no met

Any metal parts in the tank? Are you using tap water?

No metal and no tap water I use ro water from local store.

 

[Uncle99]

Yeah everything else is in range which I know range is different for everyone. The corals are not new they would last for a month or so then my hammers and Duncan would have polyp bail out my 1st candy canes retracted to nothing and my brain coral died after 3 months

If your confident that “everything is in range” it’s always helpful to post those numbers for the group to review.
Your idea of range and others may be very different.
In addition, for how many weeks or months have your parameters been in the range and what flux do you experience in a 24 hour period.
This would help quantify the maturity and stability of the system.
Without these two things, corals will die in time.

 

[Beyon]

If your confident that “everything is in range” it’s always helpful to post those numbers for the group to review.
Your idea of range and others may be very different.
In addition, for how many weeks or months have your parameters been in the range and what flux do you experience in a 24 hour period.
This would help quantify the maturity and stability of the system.
Without these two things, corals will die in time.

I can tell my ammonia is 0 my nitrates are 10 and my nitrites are less than .25. The other numbers I can get after work. My ph stays at 7.5 and my salinity is 1.025

 

[Uncle99]

The PH is on the low end and would serve to limit water chemistry stability.
I think your numbers are there, but concerned the system is new.
No new systems are stable, and without that backbone, corals may slowly become unhappy with the flux in chemistry and low availability of the bacterias which feed our friends.
In addition, what’s Alk run and what is the change in Alk in 24 Hours. Alk fluxes greater than .5 dkh create instabilities as well.

 

[Beyon]

The PH is on the low end and would serve to limit water chemistry stability.
I think your numbers are there, but concerned the system is new.
No new systems are stable, and without that backbone, corals may slowly become unhappy with the flux in chemistry and low availability of the bacterias which feed our friends.

It's 7 months old it's first inhabitants went in on Christmas eve. I only started having high nitrites when I first cleaned out the return pump .

 

[Beyon]

If your confident that “everything is in range” it’s always helpful to post those numbers for the group to review.
Your idea of range and others may be very different.
In addition, for how many weeks or months have your parameters been in the range and what flux do you experience in a 24 hour period.
This would help quantify the maturity and stability of the system.
Without these two things, corals will die in time.

Also my frogspawn are doing great that's weird to considering all other LPS do not

 

[Uncle99]

It's 7 months old it's first inhabitants went in on Christmas eve. I only started having high nitrites when I first cleaned out the return pump .

Ok, that rules out maturity, 7 months is good..

 

[Beyon]

Ok, that rules out maturity, 7 months is good..

The only issue I'm having is with the nitrites. I just can't figure out what's causing it. My lfs had said since my pump was clogg it could have caused my beneficial bacteria to die and that's the cause of the nitrites

 

[Uncle99]

It's 7 months old it's first inhabitants went in on Christmas eve. I only started having high nitrites when I first cleaned out the return pump .

Can you confirm, posts talk about high nitrites in a 7 month old system (which I can’t see how other than bad test kit) or are we talking about nitrates?

 

[Beyon]

Can you confirm, posts talk about high nitrites in a 7 month old system (which I can’t see how other than bad test kit) or are we talking about nitrates?

No nitrites

 

[Uncle99]

I’ve never tested nitrite in 30 years.
Why are you testing for nitrites 7 months in?
There will always be nitrites and nitrates in the water.

 

[Beyon]

I’ve never tested nitrite in 30 years.
Why are you testing for nitrites 7 months in?

Yeah early on my lfs had Said not to worry about nitrites. But now they are telling me they are high and that's why my LPS is dying

 

[Beyon]

I’ve never tested nitrite in 30 years.
Why are you testing for nitrites 7 months in?
There will always be nitrites and nitrates in the water.

I'm testing bc when my lfs ran my complete water test they said my nitrites were high in 2 range

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yeah early on my lfs had Said not to worry about nitrites. But now they are telling me they are high and that's why my LPS is dying

And again, forget that advice. They are thinking of fresh water.

if it was 200 or 2,000 ppm nitrite, there might be a concern. 2 ppm nitrite is not toxic to any marine creature that I have seen data for.